Varieties of dracene. The most popular indoor plants

Dracaena is a popular ornamental plant, which is a worthy decoration of office and residential premises.

Description of dracaena

Outwardly resembling a palm, this culture has less rigid leaves, narrow, pointed at the ends, with clearly visible parallel veins. The trunk of the plant is straight, the roots are smooth, dark yellow or orange. Flowering dracaena - a rare phenomenon. The flowers are white, small, greenish in color, collected in loose panicles, with a rather unpleasant odor. The exception is Dracaena Fragrant.

In nature, the plant is found in the form of trees or shrubs in the tropical regions of Australia, Africa, Asia and the Canary Islands. It is in these regions that the resin is extracted from the dracaena, which is called "dragon blood". Leaf fibers, which have the properties of bristles and horsehair, are the basis for the production of household brushes.

Varieties of Drazen

Dracaena - one of the favorite plants in indoor floriculture, has more than a hundred different species. Below are the most popular of them.

• Dracaena "Song of India". It is a charming flower, characterized by a pale pattern on numerous leaves. The shoots of such a "convenient" plant can be intertwined, braided into braids, fixed depending on the flight of fantasy, creating creative compositions. This kind of dracaena perfectly tolerates pruning and needs minimal maintenance.
• Dracaena Lime. It is characterized by decorative green leaves with a beautiful edging of lime. This species likes high humidity, which can be provided by regular spraying. Also, the plant needs good lighting.
• Dracaena Canary. Highly decorative specimen (in natural conditions it grows to two dozen meters in height), which has a wide spreading crown. The height of the pet is 1.5 meters. The leaves are greyish-green, with a bright light get a brown tint. Branched shoots grow from the main stem, eventually thicken.
• Dracaena Derehma. Slowly growing tall plant. In natural conditions can reach 5-meter height, and in home floriculture with competent care - up to 1.5 meters. The leaves are lanceolate, glossy, with a length of about 0.5 meters and a width of up to 5 cm, collected in a rosette. Dracaena Derema grows with a bare trunk, eventually lignified. More often variegated varieties are in demand, plants with purely green foliage are less common.
• Dracaena Godsef. The half-shrub is small in size (about 60 cm in height) originally from the Congo. Characterized by the original form, formed densely branched, thin shoots. The leaves grow several times, about 10 cm long, pointed at the end, with wavy edges. On top are covered with yellow, white, pink or beige patches. With proper care at home, the plant is able to please with flowering. Flowers are yellow-green, collected in racemose inflorescences, have a pleasant aroma.
• Drazen Golden. The native land of this deciduous ornamental plant is Nigeria. Characterized by a shortened trunk, glossy, light green leaves (about 20 cm). The sheet plate is covered with transverse strips of dark green color. This species differs from the others in the unusual arrangement of leaves on long petioles. The variety is somewhat whimsical in care, loves high humidity and the temperature is not below +22 ^о С.
• Drazen Unbound. Characterized by a weak trunk with thin shoots. In room conditions it reaches a meter height, in nature grows up to 5 meters. This plant is recommended support. Leaves are long, lanceolate, olive-colored, with characteristic narrowing at the ends. Slowly growing species with a large number of hybrids.
• Dracaena Surculosa. Outwardly it resembles a shrub with numerous branches growing right out of the ground. The leaves are long, pointed at the tip, are located on the petioles. The height of the plant is from 3 to 4 meters.
• Dracena Hooker. A native of southern African territories is characterized by medium height, a thick stalk. Light green leaves are distinguished by wavy edges with white edging. Their length is about 70 cm, they are assembled in a rosette and located at the very tip of the stem.
• Dracena Sander. Care for this species is simple, consists in timely watering and fertilizing. The plant is relatively compact, with gray-green leaves, somewhat twisted, reaching a length of about 25 cm. The height of the indoor specimen is about 1 meter.

Such a beloved Marginata

Dracaena Marginata (fringed) - unpretentious in growing a species that is characterized by elongated dark green leaves, delineated along the edge of the brownish fringe. The stem is slightly branched, lignifying. In natural conditions, such a tree can grow up to 5 meters in height. Dracaena at home with a quality care can grow to 2 meters.

Fragrant and fragrant

Dracaena Fragrant on the background of other species is distinguished by white flowers with a pleasant aroma, pleasing for its flowering of 2 weeks: in the morning, blossoming occurs, in the evening - closing. Blossoming flowers form a sweetish substance, which attracts many insects. The dracaena leaves are bright green, in the middle they have a silvery-gray band. In the winter, the dracaena Fragrant is able to withstand up to -10 ° C. It is unpretentious to care.

Growth conditions

Acquired Dracaena should not be immediately placed among other indoor plants, it is necessary to give it 2-3 days for adaptation, after which carefully check the leaves and stems. If the plant looks healthy, it can be safely determined to a permanent place. Virtually all varieties of dracen like an abundance of light, able to grow in the shade, do not tolerate direct sunlight (especially the dracene Okaylennaya). It is recommended to compensate for the lack of light in the winter period with artificial illumination.

Temperature

The optimum temperature at which the indoor flower feels comfortable is 20-25 ^o C heat. In the winter, such an indicator should not fall below 12-15 degrees. Dracaena, whose names are unusual and memorable, negatively relates to temperature changes and drafts, which can cause the death of a plant.

Watering and sprinkling of dracaena

Watering the dracenum should be abundant, so that the soil is always in a wet condition. Water for irrigation needs a soft, steady, room temperature. Not very fond of the constantly wet state of dracene Marginata, so fill this plant is not worth it. In winter, the supply of moisture should be reduced, avoiding the drying of the earthy coma.

All varieties of dracen need a warm regular shower (1 time per week) to remove the dust accumulating on the leaves. It is recommended to perform this operation in the morning or in the evening. If the dracene is not irrigated, then the tips of the leaves will dry up. In addition, spraying is a preventive measure aimed at preventing the occurrence of aphids, whitefly, thrips, spider mite, which can cause enormous harm.

Also, in order to maintain moisture, the container with the plant can be placed on a pallet with wet gravel. From February to October (every 2 weeks), the plant is required to be fed with complex fertilizers.

Reproduction and transplantation of dracaena

The dracaena is transplanted: every spring - for young specimens, when the pot is fully filled with the root system - for adult flowers (approximately every 2-3 years). You can determine this by sprouting roots through the drainage holes. Dracaena reproduces with apical cuttings or pieces of stems, which need to be rooted under the film at a temperature of + 25 ° C. The apical cuttings are obtained by cutting from the old plant of the upper part and its rooting. You can use stem 5-7 centimeters as a planting material. The optimal soil composition for dracaena is a mixture of leaf and turf earth, sand and overgrown manure. The plant also needs good drainage.

Diseases and pests

• If the dracaena turns yellow leaves - do not panic. This is a natural property of a plant. Green leaves are located only in the upper part of the stem.
• If there are brown spots - the plant lacks moisture.
• If the leaves are light and dry spots - this is the result of direct exposure to sunlight. The plant needs to be moved to a less illuminated place.
• If twisted soft leaves with brown edges are observed, this indicates the effect of low air temperatures.
• If the tips of the leaves are covered with brown edges, the cause may be drafts, dry air and lack of watering.

Of pests, all varieties of dracen can be attacked by a spider mite, mealybug, scab. If the flower is affected by such parasites, you should use preparations "Fitoverm", "Actellik" and other insecticides.